UN official accuses Israel of weaponising aid to Gaza

The caput of the UN bureau for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa, has accused Israel of weaponising humanitarian assistance with its blockade of goods and energy into Gaza.

Speaking successful Geneva, Philippe Lazzarini warned of a renewed hunger situation if assistance supplies did not resume.

Israel stopped the introduction of each assistance astatine the opening of the month, accusing Hamas of rejecting a US connection to widen the archetypal signifier of the Gaza ceasefire.

It besides chopped disconnected energy implicit the weekend - a determination the UK and Germany person condemned - with Energy Minister Eli Cohen saying the determination aimed to "bring backmost each the hostages and guarantee that Hamas is nary longer successful Gaza the time aft [the war]."

When the truce began, assistance supplies accrued tenfold, easing nutrient shortages and restoring immoderate wellness services.

Now those supplies person been blocked and energy to a large h2o desalination works has been cut.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres's spokesperson said this would substantially trim the availability of drinking h2o successful Gaza.

"The Secretary-General is precise acrophobic astir Israel's determination to bounds the energy proviso going into Gaza. This latest determination volition substantially trim the availability of drinking h2o successful the Gaza Strip," said Stephane Dujarric.

"Starting today, the installation is acceptable to tally connected backup generators, which volition trim h2o accumulation capacity. Restoring this transportation is captious for tens of thousands of families and children."

The Israeli authorities has further said it has not ruled retired cutting disconnected h2o supplies.

Mr Lazzarini besides criticised Israel's determination to chopped disconnected assistance and electricity, saying an expanding interaction connected the colonisation could beryllium expected.

"Obviously, the hazard is that we spell backmost to a concern we experienced months agone astir deepening hunger successful the Gaza Strip," helium said.

"Whatever the intent is, it's intelligibly a weaponisation of humanitarian assistance into Gaza. We person seen the concern is deteriorating very, precise quickly."

Israel has banned Unrwa amid claims immoderate of its unit enactment Hamas and says different assistance agencies should measurement in. But they excessively are being blocked from Gaza.

Mr Lazzarini said the lone viable alternate to the bureau was "capable Palestinian institutions... successful a Palestinian state".

Unrwa was continuing to run successful Gaza and the West Bank, helium said, adding that the Israeli prohibition had near it facing "serious operational challenges".

• What is Unrwa and wherefore has Israel banned it?

Israeli negotiators were owed successful Qatar for talks connected extending the ceasefire successful Gaza.

Israel wants Hamas to judge an hold of the archetypal signifier of their ceasefire.

But Hamas wants to commencement negotiations connected the ceasefire's 2nd phase, which would spot the merchandise of the remaining hostages from Gaza, withdrawal of Israeli forces and a imperishable extremity to war.

Hamas is believed to beryllium holding 24 surviving hostages arsenic good arsenic the bodies of 35 others.

Hamas's onslaught successful October 2023 killed astir 1,200 people, mostly civilians, wrong Israel and saw 251 radical taken hostage. Most person been released successful ceasefire agreements oregon different arrangements.

Israel's subject violative has killed much than 48,000 Palestinians successful Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run wellness ministry, which does not accidental however galore of the dormant were fighters.